ByeHack

Game Director | ByteHack

• Led a 14-person indie team from preproduction to Steam release.
• Designed the core hacking mechanic that rewrites enemies and the environment.
• Built puzzle systems, including level challenges, ability interactions, and moment-to-moment gameplay flow.
• Guided level design, enemy behavior, and overall player experience across disciplines.
• Created level blockouts, iterated on puzzles, and worked directly with designers and programmers.
• Ran live QA sessions to gather feedback, identify issues, and drive iteration.

Trophy System

Breaking a Negative Feedback Loop.

Early playtests revealed a core issue:
Players were taking too long to finish levels.

In Byte Hack, time increases pressure, but instead of speeding up, players slowed down to play it safe.

This made the game harder, which caused them to slow down even more, creating a negative feedback loop.

I needed a system that encouraged momentum without forcing it.

Time-Based Trophies.

So, I introduced a familiar structure:
Bronze → Silver → Gold

The intent was simple:
Average players should earn Bronze on a first clear, or feel close to it.
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Silver and Gold would reward improvement and mastery.

This clearly communicated one thing:
Finishing faster is better.

But it revealed a new gap.

Gold Was Not Enough.

Experienced players often earned Gold immediately.

They finished the level, saw the highest trophy, and moved on, with little reason to replay or explore.

For a game built around mastery, this was a problem.

Platinum was designed to solve it. It was not just a reward, but a statement of full level understanding.

Its extreme requirements felt impossible at first, but that doubt made players realize there must be a trick, pushing them to experiment, replay, and truly master the level.

Previewing Trophy Times.

I reinforced this by showing players the time needed for the next trophy.

This turned trophies into a direct callout:
“This level can be beaten faster.”
“If you’re good enough, it’s possible.”

Platinum became aspirational rather than arbitrary.

Motivation For Every Skill.

The system naturally supported different players:

New players aimed for Bronze and Silver while learning mechanics.
Improving players chased Gold for consistency.
Hardcore players hunted Platinum by replaying, exploring, and optimizing routes.

Most importantly, it solved the original problem.
Players stopped slowing down.
They experimented.
They replayed.
They learned.

The trophy system didn’t just reward speed.
It taught players how Byte Hack was meant to be played